Cr 282/4 AR Denarius L. Pomponius Cn. f.

L. Pomponius Cn. f. AR Denarius serratus 118 b.c.e.
o: Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, X; around, L. POMPONI CN F.
r: Bituitus in biga right; in ex, L. LIC. CN. DOM.
3.81 gms; 20.00 mm
This coin is much better in hand.
If the attribution of the reverse figure to Bituitus is correct, this coin commemorates the defeat of one of the most incompetent generals ever defeated by Roman valor, who lost over 120,000 troops according to severely outdated sources. The moneyers are splitting the designs -- Pomponius gets the interesting obverse, yet Domitius, whose father(?) was the winning general a few years earlier, chose a very ordinary reverse. Perhaps there is more to the story than meets the eye.